ReSharper 2017.2 Help

Code Syntax Style: Braces for Single Nested Statements

C# specification allows you to safely omit braces around single nested statements under some parent statements, e.g. if-else, foreach, etc. However, code style guidelines may differ in this regard. Some consider the braces here as a requirement, some consider them redundant. Whatever style you prefer, the important thing is to have consistent use of braces throughout your codebase. With ReSharper, you can define your preference for using braces after each type of code block and enforce this style.

ReSharper also provides multiple formatting rules for braces layout (whitespaces, tabs, and new lines). To see and configure these rules, open ReSharper options (ReSharper | Options), type braces in the search box, and check matched items on pages under Code Editing | C# | Formatting Style.

Applying style preferences for braces

By default, ReSharper does nothing with braces for single nested statements because all related code inspections are disabled. So, if you want ReSharper to control style preferences for single nested statements and notify you about violations of your preferences, you need to configure your preferences first.

ReSharper highlights code that do not comply with your preferences and suggests the corresponding quick-fix or fix in scope. For example, you can opt to use braces for using:

Preferences for braces around single statements are not applied to generated code. By default, ReSharper provides the list of file masks and regions for generated code typically produced by Visual Studio (for example, Windows Form Designer-generated code). If necessary, you can edit the list of generated items on the Code Inspection | Generated Code page of ReSharper options.

Another option to enforce preferences for braces around single statements in a bulk mode is code cleanup. You can either run code cleanup with the default profile Default: Full Cleanup or run the cleanup with a custom profile solely targeted at your specific task as described below.

To apply preferences for braces with custom Code Cleanup profile

Select ReSharper | Options in the main menu.

Go to the Code Cleanup settings page: Code Editing | Code Cleanup.

Create a new profile as described in the Code Cleanup section. In the Selected profile settings section for the new profile, tick the Add/Remove braces for single statements... check box. Optionally, you can enable other code cleanup tasks in this profile.

Click Save to apply the modifications and let ReSharper choose where to save them, or save the modifications to a specific settings layer using the Save To drop-down list. For more information, see managing and sharing resharper settings.

Select the scope where you want to enforce your preferences:

Set the caret anywhere in the file to enforce your preferences to the file.

Select one or more items in the Solution Explorer to enforce your preferences in the files under these nodes and their child items.

If you want to enforce preferences for braces without opening the Code Cleanup dialog, you can bind the created profile to the silent cleanup and run it simply by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F. You can also create a custom cleanup profile that would combine applying the preferences with other code style tasks.

Configuring preferences for braces under single statements

Your braces style preferences are saved using the mechanism of layer-based settings. Among other things, this mechanism allows you to maintain different preferences for different solutions as well as to keep these preferences under a VCS and automatically share them with your team members.

To configure preferences for braces

Go to the Code Editing | C# | Code Style page of ReSharper options.

Modify settings in the Braces category according to your coding practices/standards.

Click Save to apply the modifications and let ReSharper choose where to save them, or save the modifications to a specific settings layer using the Save To drop-down list. For more information, see managing and sharing resharper settings.

You can also change your preference for braces right in the editor, where a corresponding issue is highlighted:

To change preference for braces from the editor

Set the caret to a code issue highlighted by a ReSharper's inspection.

If you need to save the modified style preference in a shared settings layer, click on the Configure code style menu item or press Enter when it is selected. ReSharper will open the Code Editing | C# | Code Style page of ReSharper options where you can modify your preference as needed, click Save To and then choose the desired settings layer.